February 27, 2007

Size matters

In the midst of developing my eBay market research biz, I have had yet another entrepreneurial seizure. This new vision is all about providing e-commerce information. Transparency between seller and buyer. Reducing risk for all involved in online transactions. A perfect cause!

What is worth 3,000+ hours of painstaking prototyping, endless iteration, figuring out AJAX and conquering Photoshop? Ta-da: Size Help for Clothing, Shoes and Accessories.

Here’s a perfect example of the problem. A pair of True Religion jeans caught my eye. Which size do I get? In every auction and every size chart I looked at, the waist measurement was missing. The sellers claim the waist measurement equals the size stated (i.e. 30 size = 30 inch waist).

So I hunted down a brick and mortar store that carries True Religion. I took 2 pairs of jeans to the fitting room to measure and here’s what I found:

Size 30 Bobby Urban Cowboy fit – measured flat and doubled

Waist 33″

Hips 41″

And more…

Size 29 Billy fit

Waist 31″

Hips 39 1/2″

The online size information was off by 2 to 3 inches. Using my suit sales experience, acceptable measurement error is 1/2″ to 1″ max.

Zafu.com is a kindred spirit in this cause. They take your input and find jeans for you. I’d like to go the other way, input a clothing brand and identify your size.